BECOMING MEN: SOUTH ASIAN UNACCOMPANIED MINORS’ TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD IN GREECE

Background: The influx of irregular migrants in Greece in 2015-2016 brought rising numbers of unaccompanied minors (UAMs), or children traveling without adult family members. In Greece, accommodation facilities for children aim to protect UAMs from exploitation. However, since most UAMs are older adolescent males, they are only eligible for these accommodation facilities for short periods. This study examines the role played by accommodation facilities in male UAMs’ transition to adulthood in Greece. Methods: Forty-four migrant youth who arrived in Greece as UAMs and were 18-21 years old at the time of the study were recruited for in-depth interviews. A trajectory approach was utilized to capture how UAMs’ journeys coincided with their development as adolescents. Life history calendars were constructed alongside in-depth interviews to understand changes in living situations along youths’ trajectories. Interviews were analyzed thematically. Findings: UAMs who entered Greece through the islands were typically placed in specialized accommodation facilities without understanding why there were held there and for how long. UAMs who entered Greece through its land borders were often homeless and had to advocate for their placement in shelters. Among the latter group, younger UAMs were deemed more vulnerable and prioritized for shelter, whereas who were 17 years and some months old often aged out of eligibility before they could be placed. Among those who were placed in shelters, UAMs who perceived NGO staff to be supportive tended to have future plans that involved social and economic participation in Greece, whereas those who deemed NGO staff to be unsupportive intended to leave Greece, even if it mean giving up asylee status to become irregular migrants again. Conclusion: The brief time that UAMs were placed in accommodation facilities significantly shaped their experiences in adulthood. For those who were placed in shelters, the perceived supportiveness of NGO staff enabled youth to move out of marginalized, exploitative underground economies and participate in Greek society. Youth who were not placed in accommodation facilities remained dependent on underground economies for survival, while youth who were placed but felt that staff weren’t supportive intended to pursue onwards migration and possibly return to underground economies